Sharp County record., 1887-07-14
want to see what that fellow is going on


legiate education, and four obtained
it, but not without great home-strug-
| gle. We never heard the oil peo-
PIE say once that they were denyiag
themselves to effect this, but l remember
now that my parents always looked tired.
| / don't think they ever got rested until
they lay down in the SomervilIe ceme-
| terry. Mother would sit down in the even-
ing and say:
''Well, l don't know what makes me
| feel so tired"
Father would fall Immediately to sleep,
seated by the evening stand, overcome
with the days fatigues. One of the four
brothers, after preaching the Gospel for
about fifty years, entered upon his heav-
enly rest. Another of the four is now on
| the other side the earth, a missionary OF
| the Cross. Two of US are in this land IN
the holy ministry, and l think all OF us
are willing 10 ackn owledge our obligation
| to the old folks at home. About twenty
one years ago the one, and about twenty
three years ago the other, put down the
burdens of this life, but they still hold
| the rope.
o, men and women here assembled, you
! brag sometimes how you have fought
your way in the world, but think there
| have been helpful influences that you
have never fully acknowledged. Has
there not been some influence in your
early or present home that the world can
not seea Does there not reach to you
from among the New England hills, or
| from Western prairie, or from Southern
| plantation, or from English or Scottish or
| Irish home, a cord of influence that has
kept you right when you would have gone
astray, and which, after you had made
| crooked track, recalled youi
The rope may be as long as thirty years,
| or 500 miles long, or 5000 miles long, but
hands that went out of mortal sight long
ago still hold the rope. You want very
| swift horse, and you need to rowel him
with sharpest spurs, and to let the reins
| lie loose upon the neck, and to give
shout to the racer, if you are going to ride
out of reach of your mothers prayers.
| Why, ship crossing the Atlantic in SIX
DAYS can't sail away from that A sailor
| finds them on the lookout as he taxes ms
place, and finds them on the mast as he
climbs the ratllnes to disentangle a rope
| in the tempest, and finds them swinging
on the hammock when he turns in. Why
not be frank and ackn owledge i3 The
most of us would long ago have been
dashed to pieces had not gracious and
loving hands steadily and lovingly and
nightly held the rope.
But there must come time when we
shall find out who these Damascenes were
| who lowered Paul in the basket, and
greet them and all those who have rem
dered to God and the world unrecognized
and unrecorded services. That is gong
to be one of the glad excitements OF
| Heaven, the hunting up and picking out
of those who did great good on earth and
got no credit for it. Here the Church has
been going on for nineteen centuries, and
vet the world has not recognized the serv-
| ices Of the people in that Damascus bal
cony. Charles D. Finney said to dying
| Christian:
"Give my love to st. Paul when you
meet him."
When you and l meet him, as we will l
| shall ask him to introduce me to those
people who got him out Of the Damascene
| peril.
Come, let us go right up and accost
those on the circle Of Heavenly thrones.
| Surely they must have killed in battle q
million men. Surely they must have
been buried with all the cathedrals sound
ing dirge and all the towers of all the
cities tolling the national grief. Who
Part thou, mighty one of Heaven'
81 lived by choice the unmarried
| daughter In an humble home that l might
take care of my parents in their old age,
| and l endured without complaints all
their querulousness, and administered
| to all their wants for twenty years"
Let us pass on around the circle Of
| thrones. Who art thou, mighty one OF
Heavenl
81 was for thirty years a Christian in
valid, and suffered all the while, occa-
sonally writing note of sympathy for
| those worse off than /, and was general
contidant of those who had trouble, and
once in while was strong enough to
max garment for that poor family in
| the back lane"
Pass on to another throne. Who art
thou, mighty one of Heaven9
81 was the mother who raised whole
family of children for Col, and they are
out In the world, Christian merchants,
Christian mechanics, Christian wives,
and have had full reward for my toll"
Let us pass on in the circle Of thrones
II had a Sabbath school class, and they
! were always on my heart, and they all
entered the Kingdom of God, and am
waiting for their arrival"
"But who art thou, the mighty one OF
heaven IN this other throne!
'In time of bitter persecu tion, owned
| a house in Damascus, a house on the wall.
A man who preached Christ was bounded
! from street to street, and hid him from
| the assassins, and when l found them
breaking in my house, and could no
| longer keep him safely, advised him to
| flee for his life, and a basket was let
down over the wall with the maltreated
| man in it, and was one who helped hold
| the rope"
And said: as that ALI"
And he answered: THAT is ALL"
And while was lost in amazement |
heard a strong voice that sounded as
though it might once have been hoarse
| from many exposures, and Triumphant, as
| though it might have belonged to one OF
| the martyrs. and said:
| Not many mighty not many noble are called,
| but God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty,
and base things OF the world and things which
| are despised hath God chosen; yea, and things
which are not to bring to naught things which
are, that esh should glory IN his presence.
And | looked to see from whence the